NNSA Highlights Achievements and Improvements in 2012

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As 2012 draws to a close, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has compiled a list of some of its most important accomplishments and improvements over the past year.

Thomas P. D’Agostino

The NNSA, in conjunction with its Management & Operating contractor partners, reached significant milestones in its nonproliferation and counterterrorism portfolios, made a host of significant achievements through its work with the United States’ nuclear weapons stockpile, and maintained a constant focus on continuous improvement.

“We had our share of challenges in 2012, but we have much to be proud of,” NNSA Administrator Thomas D’Agostino said. “Our people, both our federal staff and our contractor partners, have done great work executing our mission and improving the way we do business. From our work on the stockpile to our nonproliferation efforts to our contracting strategies, we had a very good year. There is always room to get better, and we are focused on improving everywhere, from security to project management. We see 2013 as full of great things, and we’re excited for what’s to come.”

NNSA’s successes literally spanned the globe; ensured that the United States’ nuclear weapons stockpile was safe, secure and effective; saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars; and continued to align the organization for the next decade. Even when NNSA stumbled, setbacks were met with swift, corrective action and a focus on lasting improvement.

A few of the highlights:

Cooperative efforts to prevent terrorists or rogue states from obtaining highly enriched uranium (HEU) led to NNSA’s 50th HEU recovery to date. The Global Threat Reduction Initiative efforts have secured more than 1,900 kilograms of Russian-origin HEU, enough for more than 75 nuclear weapons and is on pace to meet President Obama’s goal of securing all vulnerable nuclear material within four years. (http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/pressreleases/uzbekistan110112)

In the event that terrorists were able to obtain radiological materials and attempt to use them in an attack, NNSA has worked with federal, state, and local officials across the country through a series of tabletop exercises that strengthen first responders’ and law enforcement officials’ ability to detect, deter and prevent a terrorist WMD incident from occurring, as well as emphasize efforts to respond to, mitigate and recover from the effects of such an event. NNSA’s 100th exercise of its kind was held in August. (http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/pressreleases/bearcatexercise080912)

Data from SSP experiments will be used in conjunction with NNSA’s vast supercomputing capabilities, which achieved world-record status over the summer. In June, NNSA’s Sequoia, housed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), surpassed 16 petaflops, making it the world’s fastest. (http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/pressreleases/sequoia61812)

At the Savannah River Site, the NNSA continued its more than half a century of successfully delivering reservoirs and other components to military customers while maintaining a focus on safety and security. In 2012, NNSA surpassed a major safety milestone: three million safe work hours; the last injury resulting in time away from work was more than four years ago.

For the second straight year, all of the projects NNSA completed in FY12 were on or under budget, including the Sanitary Effluent Reclamation Facility and the demolition of Building South Mesa 43 at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). In addition, several ongoing projects continued to perform on budget and schedule, including the High Explosive Pressing Facility and High Pressure Fire Loop at Pantex, the Test Capabilities Revitalization Phase II at Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), and equipment installation for the Radiological Laboratory Utility Office Building at LANL.

In an effort to protect taxpayer dollars and accomplish its mission in a time of fiscal constraint, NNSA saved more than $519 million through strategic sourcing in FY12. The Supply Chain Management Center has allowed NNSA’s sites to work together to buy strategically and save money. (http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/pressreleases/strategicsourcing103112)

In Kansas City, NNSA signed the lease on its new LEED-certified National Security Campus, which was completed on-time and on-budget. The new facility will cut energy consumption by 50 percent and save $100 million annually in operating costs. The Kansas City Plant is now prepared to execute the largest industrial move in the United States while maintaining continuous operations and product delivery over the coming 19-month move. (http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/pressreleases/kcp111512)

At the Y-12 National Security Complex and Pantex Plant, NNSA staff have prepared for a future-shaping contract award by combining and streamlining federal production operations. The new NNSA Production Office aligns NNSA’s oversight at Y-12 and Pantex while saving money and integrating operations. The new combined management and operating contract, which is soon to be awarded, will help NNSA save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in the years to come. (http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/pressreleases/npo61812)

At NNSA’s three laboratories – LLNL, LANL and Sandia – innovation continued to impress the world’s scientific communities. NNSA’s labs and production sites received 12 of R&D Magazine’s 2012 R&D 100 awards, which are considered the “Oscars of Innovation.” (http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/pressreleases/rd10062012)

After helping the Japanese people cope with the devastating tsunami and resulting nuclear crisis in 2011, NNSA took the lessons learned and applied them to improve our radiological forecasting capabilities. By sponsoring the installation of a new 336-processor computing cluster at NNSA’s National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center, consequence predictions for hazardous materials release can be completed approximately 50 times faster than before. (http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/pressreleases/narac112712)

Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science.NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; works to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad. Visit www.nnsa.energy.gov for more information.